Successful online business start with good hosting

If you don't have a decent Hosting provider, your online business is destined to fail. There is a chance you will encounter endless problems like down time, loss of data, poor customer service, and maybe even a hacked site. Before you choose a hosting provider you should first do research. I'm here to save you some time, and give you a few tips to use when choosing a hosting provider.

So you spent hours on your business plan, your web site is nicely designed, and you are ready to launch, so where are you going to put your site? Unless you are a large corporation with the budget to host your own site; you will most likely have to fine a hosting provider. Most people overlook this step and just choose any hosting provider without any prior knowledge of the company. So before you choose a provider here are a few things to consider...

• What kind of customer support do they offer?


• Does their hosting solutions fit your website needs?


• Can you upgrade your package?


• What happens if you go over your bandwidth?


• Are you tied to a contract?


• What is their up-time percentage?


• Do they offer any tools for design and marketing?


• Do they backup your data?


• What type of servers to they offer

These are important things to know before you choose a provider. If you are not that internet savvy then you might need a provider that has 24/7 customer service via phone rather then a provider that only has email support. What if - and I hope this happens - your business grows and you need to upgrade your package, will you have to go somewhere else, or can you upgrade? What if their servers go down is your data protected? Most hosting providers offer Linux servers that use PHP as a scripting language. What if you script in ASP .NET, and need a Microsoft server.

I have dealt with websites in one form or another since the late 90's, and in that time I have gone through lots of hosting providers. They ranged from crappy to excellent, cheap to expensive. To be honest the saying "You get what you pay for" is not always true when it comes to hosting. With the introduction of Broadband internet to the market and the cheap cost of servers, just about anyone with any IT knowledge can call themselves a hosting provider. Also since there is no standard on pricing homegrown providers can charge anything they want. So I advise you to do your homework. When you are searching for providers see if they are a member of any associations. If they offer domain registration see if they are recognized by icann. Most likely if they are part of an association then they are legit. I do my hosting through 1and1.com I feel that 1and1 is one of the better hosting companies out there. They have a variety of packages to choose from, they have 24/7 phone support, and you can upgrade or change packages at any time. Included with most of their packages you get a surplus of features such as templates, free scripts, programs, and vouchers for online marketing services. They offer Microsoft and Linux servers, so you are not limited to one platform. Finally their prices are reasonable and you get a lot for your buck. I have the developer plan and I get 300GB of web space, 3TB of bandwidth, and a TON of add-ons for only $14.99 a month. When you choose a hosing provider you should have a couple of providers to choose from so that you can compare their solutions to choose the package that is right for your website. I have selected 3 reputable hosting providers, 1and1.com, Dreamhost.com, and iPowerweb.com, and compared their features. Click here to view my detailed comparison chart.